It is even more comical how people TO THIS DAY still say that AB has a limited offensive game, when everything he has done so far in the NBA has indicated that he is a very good shooter with 40%+ 3-pt range ability, on top of being a sick athlete that can cut on a dime.

Of course he's got limited offensive game -- he scores mostly on corner threes and cuts to the basket. That's limited. How is that relevant for anything?

That's like saying Bass has a limited offensive game because he only shoots open jumpshots and sometimes is effective in the post. Of course, no one hammers Bass as a limited offensive player because he does exactly what he is supposed to do.

The facts are that AB is at worst an above-average 3 pt shooter, a capable ball handler, a dynamic cutter, and an overall quality shooter at the 2-guard. Exactly what we need him to do.

If that is limited, then 90% of players in the NBA have limited offensive games, rendering the charge meaningless.

I was amused at how many people on this board and how many pundits dismissed Bradley's return to the team.

First, let me just defend myself as one of those people.

I am more specifically criticizing those here that willfully ignored the major impact AB had on our season last year, in order to perpetuate the self-fulfilling analysis that the problem with the Celtics was that we lacked a defensive, rebounding big man.

We didn't have one last year, we don't have one this year, and in the 35 games AB has started without that defensive, rebounding big man, the team plays like an NBA Finals contender.

We are an average team without AB, we are an elite team with him. Plain and simple.

I agree with most of the thread about Avery Bradley and have been saying how important he was long before we turned this thing around. No, people underestimated him though its ok though folks go ahead sit down and have a nice plate of crow.

Logged

"7ft PG. Rondo leaves and GUESS WHAT? We got a BIGGER point guard!"-Tommy on Olynyk

I was amused at how many people on this board and how many pundits dismissed Bradley's return to the team.

First, let me just defend myself as one of those people.

I am more specifically criticizing those here that willfully ignored the major impact AB had on our season last year, in order to perpetuate the self-fulfilling analysis that the problem with the Celtics was that we lacked a defensive, rebounding big man.

We didn't have one last year, we don't have one this year, and in the 35 games AB has started without that defensive, rebounding big man, the team plays like an NBA Finals contender.

We are an average team without AB, we are an elite team with him. Plain and simple.

I agree with most of the thread about Avery Bradley and have been saying how important he was long before we turned this thing around. No, people underestimated him though its ok though folks go ahead sit down and have a nice plate of crow.

This ^ some people are still trying to downplay it as much as they can tho without looking too ignorant. I find that sad yet hilarious. Some people admitted to being wrong and i respect you for that. I was fully ready to admit i was wrong if AB came back and we played the same. Didn't happen tho, did it.

Anyway, I don't really get the point of the thread. So, how is this any different than the guys that were ready to come for an "I said so" if we still sucked after Bradley came back? This is just from the opposite perspective and looks exactly like the same action to me.Are there people overestimating/underestimating a respective player's value here? There is, and there will always be. And as long as no one in this board is a GM/coach/assistant coach for the Celtics, let them be.It's just pointless to get into heated debates regarding our own players.

Back on the topic, the long-anticipated backcourt of Bradley/Lee is a huge reason we aren't having monumental collapses anymore. The rotations have changed and this way, it's a lot better. As I said in my previous post, we have to find a way to integrate Jet better and the team will look good for the time being.Bradley is playing about half of a game at 23-24 mpg and from what I have seen during the streak, we aren't playing like we did before he came back in the other half, either. Let it be changed rotations, motivation or anything else, we have somehow turned it around. Honestly, I couldn't care less about making a math of who deserved how much when it comes to giving credit to our players

Rondo and the Celtics were blatantly using Bradley's absence as an excuse for their total lack of effort... so it doesn't totally surprise me that Bradley's return has them suddenly playing harder and winning some games.

Bradley is a good defensive role player... weak offensive player. High energy guy who at the moment has helped everyone on this team get out of their funk and start playing like the games matter.

Rondo and the Celtics were blatantly using Bradley's absence as an excuse for their total lack of effort... so it doesn't totally surprise me that Bradley's return has them suddenly playing harder and winning some games.

Bradley is a good defensive role player... weak offensive player. High energy guy who at the moment has helped everyone on this team get out of their funk and start playing like the games matter.

"Rondo and the Celtics"? Is that like "Dion and the Belmonts" or "Bob Marley and the Wailers"?

Rondo and the Celtics were blatantly using Bradley's absence as an excuse for their total lack of effort... so it doesn't totally surprise me that Bradley's return has them suddenly playing harder and winning some games.

Bradley is a good defensive role player... weak offensive player. High energy guy who at the moment has helped everyone on this team get out of their funk and start playing like the games matter.

What concerns me is the fact that Bradley has everyone playing well. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving this win streak, and I love the defensive intensity, but please tell me I'm not the only one who sees this.

A team that, without Bradley, shouldn't have been under .500 suddenly picks it up when he comes back? To me, that seems to put the rest of the team in a bad light.

I've been saying it all year: Bradley isn't the key to winning a title this year. The way our guys were playing before he returned made him look like that, and I think that's wrong. They didn't show a whole lot of effort, and once Avery returned, we suddenly become good?

It's coming off as, "Look, Avery. We need to put our title hopes on your surgically repaired shoulders. So, until you return, we're going to play like crap. Why, you ask? So that when you return, it makes it look like you're our savior."

Now, Avery has helped a lot (more than I'd thought), but I still don't think it's enough. The point remains: it hasn't been all Bradley, like a lot of people are saying. I think our guys had been coasting until Avery returned. To be frank, I find that a little disgusting on the player's (save Bradley) part.

Anyway, I don't really get the point of the thread. So, how is this any different than the guys that were ready to come for an "I said so" if we still sucked after Bradley came back? This is just from the opposite perspective and looks exactly like the same action to me.Are there people overestimating/underestimating a respective player's value here? There is, and there will always be. And as long as no one in this board is a GM/coach/assistant coach for the Celtics, let them be.It's just pointless to get into heated debates regarding our own players.

Back on the topic, the long-anticipated backcourt of Bradley/Lee is a huge reason we aren't having monumental collapses anymore. The rotations have changed and this way, it's a lot better. As I said in my previous post, we have to find a way to integrate Jet better and the team will look good for the time being.Bradley is playing about half of a game at 23-24 mpg and from what I have seen during the streak, we aren't playing like we did before he came back in the other half, either. Let it be changed rotations, motivation or anything else, we have somehow turned it around. Honestly, I couldn't care less about making a math of who deserved how much when it comes to giving credit to our players

Oh believe me if KG were knocking down 20 and pulling down 10 a nite we'd be building a statue of him. Facts are no matter the math, the Celts were ready for collapse prior to AB's return. The facts speak for themselves and have some precedent because he did it before.

Rondo and the Celtics were blatantly using Bradley's absence as an excuse for their total lack of effort... so it doesn't totally surprise me that Bradley's return has them suddenly playing harder and winning some games.

Bradley is a good defensive role player... weak offensive player. High energy guy who at the moment has helped everyone on this team get out of their funk and start playing like the games matter.

"Rondo and the Celtics"? Is that like "Dion and the Belmonts" or "Bob Marley and the Wailers"?

I'm just saying that this team has a tendency to make excuses. Maybe I shouldn't call it excuses. I think it's a mental barrier. Like they kept telling themselves they had never lost a series with Perkins in the lineup... they convinced themselves that they were unbeatable with Perkins... which essentially like making an excuse for poor play without Perkins. Basketball requires mental focus. It requires confidence. It's hard to be 100% focused and confident if you keep telling yourself your missing a key player. To me, it seemed like they were doing the same thing with Bradley. Rondo even said in an interview that they'd be better once Bradley came back. I think at least partially that impacts the mental focus of the team... why try 100% if you know your team is gaining a key piece soon? I think they were dogging it and waiting for Bradley to come back so they could lock in and start playing hard. So far, everyone seems to be more focused now that Bradley is back.

SO basically I'm saying the Celtics were coasting until the after the HOlidays and now they are actually taking games seriously.

Let's focus this thread on the impact Avery is having, rather than on the self-congratulatory back-patting and the I-told-you-sos.

I think Danny Ainge got it right regarding Bradley's impact:

Quote

I'll tell you, the biggest factor I think is that that guy plays so hard, he exposes everybody else on the court if they're not playing defense, just by his play. How can you not see that? How can you not see this guy working so hard, fighting over every screen, defending every dribble and every pass? And if somebody else isn't doing that, they're exposed, and I think that stands out, too, and I think that elevates the play of his teammates."

I guess the issue is whether the team can keep that spark up for the rest of the regular season + playoffs. In the short term, I absolutely agree that Bradley has been the biggest reason for our recent streak, and it's remarkable that an undersized shooting guard who has been rusty offensively can have such a huge impact.